Deathless In Sunnydale
by Ligeia
Summary: Postcards From the Edge of the Hellmouth part 3. Angel helps out at Harvest time. Episode tie-in: BtVS Season One: The Harvest.


Disclaimer: The characters are the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Kuzui, Sandollar, David Greenwalt Productions, 20th Century Fox and whoever else may have a hold upon them. I do not mean to infringe upon any copyrights. Julia Devereaux is my own creation.  
  
Postcards From the Edge of the Hellmouth Part Three: Deathless in Sunnydale.  
  
'Having a hell of a time my dear, wish you were here' - Alice Cooper.  
  
*****  
  
Julia Devereaux looked up at the clock on the wall of the school library. 4.06 a.m. She sighed, rubbed her eyes and took another sip from a styrofoam cup of coffee, long gone cold, then turned back to several stacks of books and papers on the table in front of her. She and Rupert Giles had taken shifts since the previous day, searching around the clock for references to the impending supernatural event known as the Harvest.  
  
Julia had been at the task for several hours now since returning from the Bronze earlier that evening. The conversation she had had there with a mysterious young man had done nothing to ease her growing disquiet over his intentions towards the Slayer or his possible role in the approaching conflict.  
  
Giles was convinced that the Harvest might be just days away so there was no time to waste. Every text that they had translated so far indicated a unique planetary conjunction would herald the event, but converting ancient calendars was never an exact science and open to interpretation. The resulting inconsistencies in the calculation of dates made it difficult to pinpoint the exact day and hour.  
  
'What'cha doin'?'  
  
Julia jumped, badly startled, her heart pounding. The young man from the Bronze stood by the double doors leading into the library, leaning insolently against the front desk. She hadn't heard him enter.  
  
'How the hell did you get in here?' she snapped, trying to cover her embarrassment, further infuriated to see a slow grin spread across his face.  
  
Angel walked over and took the seat across the table from her, turning the chair backwards to lean on the backrest.  
  
'It's a public place, . kinda,' he replied, a little defensively.  
  
'It's also locked up for the night. How did you get into the building?'  
  
'Oh .' Angel paused. 'Through the Science room down the hall. One of the windows has a broken latch.'  
  
'Great. I'll alert Maintenance,' Julia said sarcastically, returning her attention to a large volume in front of her.  
  
'Yeah. Wouldn't want any undesirables getting in.' Angel's smile faded as Julia made no response. 'I saw the library lights on,' he continued, opening up books at random, frowning at the columns of exotic lettering, esoteric symbols and mathematics. 'Working late, huh?' Still she ignored him. 'What's that one?' Angel reached for the book Julia was working on, turning it around to inspect the masses of tiny hand-written characters and drawings.  
  
'That's a two thousand year old Latin text translated from a Greek version of an original Persian manuscript from around 400 B.C.'  
  
'Whoa! This is what you do for fun?'  
  
Julia ignored this. 'I'm looking for an indication of when the Harvest might occur. We think it will be determined by a specific conjunction of planets and the Persian astrologers were the most advanced of their day.' Julia looked steadily at the young man. He seemed much more amenable than he had been just a few hours before. 'You seem to know something about it. I don't suppose you'd have any ideas?'  
  
Angel shook his head and grinned. 'Nope. It's gotta be soon, though.' He picked up another, more recent volume entitled "Die Geschichte von Vampires".  
  
'What's this?'  
  
'I'm also looking for anything I can find on a vampire known as The Master.'  
  
'Oh, well, I can .' He trailed off.  
  
Julia looked at him sharply. 'You can what?'  
  
'I can . only hope you come up with something,' he finished quickly. Julia stared at him a few moments longer, until he dropped his gaze, then went back to translating the Latin text.  
  
'So,' Angel continued, 'where do you fit into all this? You a Watcher or what?'  
  
'Not really.' More to the point, she thought, who, or what, are you? 'Technically I'm a consultant. I specialise in ancient languages and weapons.'  
  
'Mighty with the pen and the sword, huh?'  
  
'I guess so,' Julia continued to make notes. 'How did you learn about the Harvest anyway? It's not exactly a well-known topic.'  
  
'I have contacts.' He was becoming evasive again but Julia was in no mood for his playing at inscrutability.  
  
'Who told you the Slayer was in Sunnydale?'  
  
'The Powers That Be sent me here.'  
  
'Fine,' Julia was annoyed again. 'Don't tell me then.'  
  
'I did tell you!'  
  
'Have it your way. That's not the only reason you're here in Sunnydale, though, is it? In the Bronze you said something about looking for certain vampires. What's that all about?'  
  
'It's personal. Old wounds you might say.' Angel looked around.  
  
'It's just Giles and me here,' Julia said. 'Buffy went home hours ago.' She rose, gathering up an armful of books to be replaced in the locked shelves on the platform above the main floor level. While her back was turned Angel picked up the pen she had been using and jotted a short message on the bottom of the sheet of notes she had just completed, shuffling the page in among others Julia had placed in a folder for Giles.  
  
'Sure. I knew that.' He paused again. 'She say anything about me?'  
  
'Yes, she certainly did,' Julia replied from amongst the bookcases. 'She said she didn't like you.'  
  
'Oh,' Angel said, sounding disappointed. 'Is that all?'  
  
'Actually, no. She also said that .'  
  
'How is that translation going?' Julia stepped out from the shelves. Giles had returned to the library, having caught a few hours sleep on the sofa in the staff room. 'Do you want me to take over?'  
  
Julia looked around. The mysterious young man had disappeared again.  
  
'Did I hear you saying something as I came in?' Giles asked.  
  
'Just talking to myself,' Julia replied, still looking around, 'apparently.'  
  
*****  
  
Giles insisted that Julia go home to get some sleep while he worked on the mathematical computations from her most recent set of notes. Astronomical calculations were not her strong suit anyway, and Julia was glad to take a break from the multiple language translations of the past two days.  
  
At first, Julia found it impossible to rest. A host of questions and concerns churned around in her mind, keeping her wakeful even though she had not slept in over twenty-six hours but eventually her tired mind relented and she fell asleep on the mattress on the floor of the upstairs bedroom.  
  
*****  
  
Hours passed as Giles systematically worked through the notes that Julia had made from dozens of ancient sources in over fourteen different languages, many of which had not been spoken for millennia. Coming to the end of one page of notes, he noticed a small annotation in what seemed to be a different handwriting. It indicated a cross-reference to an obscure 15th century alchemical treatise that Giles had previously looked at and dismissed as an allegorical essay on demonic powers and an even older book, the Orsini Grimoire. One volume contained calculations for the movements of the planets while the other provided the start date for those calculations. Taken together, this information was they key to determining the planetary alignment that would proclaim the Time of the Harvest.  
  
*****  
  
By the time Julia awoke the sun was already setting. Something had disturbed her sleep earlier but she had dropped off again before finally rousing herself sufficiently to get up, shower and dress in a fresh white cotton shirt and jeans. Heading downstairs to the kitchen she grabbed a glass of milk and a handful of cookies, intending to pick up something more substantial on the way back to the school library.  
  
Walking through the living room on the way out to the garage, Julia noticed that the red message-waiting light on the answering machine was flashing. Turning it on, she heard Giles's anxious voice saying, ' Julia, meet us at the Bronze as soon as possible. The Harvest is tonight!'  
  
'Fuck!' Julia set the milk and cookies down beside the phone and ran for the car.  
  
*****  
  
Angel arrived at the rear entrance of the Bronze in time to see Darla's retreating figure disappear around the corner at the far end of the alley. He was about to go inside when two more vampires dashed out of the doorway and ran off in the same direction. All was quiet inside the club.  
  
'She did it,' he said quietly. 'I'll be damned!' Angel turned and started off after Darla.  
  
*****  
  
The Bronze was all the way across town from Julia's place, the last few blocks winding though narrow streets between low-rise industrial buildings, most of them unoccupied after dark. Driving as fast as she dared, Julia turned the MG sharply to the right, almost colliding with a group of three people coming around the corner at a dead run. The group split as Julia's car headed towards them, the two females running to the left and right of the car while the male leapt directly onto the hood, over the convertible's canopy, landed on the trunk and jumped to the ground. Julia hit the brake hard, wrenching the steering wheel in the opposite direction, the car mounting the footpath and smashing into the corner of the building directly ahead.  
  
'Bloody hell!' she yelled, slamming her hand against the steering wheel in frustration. Getting out of the car, Julia looked across the hood to examine damage to the passenger's side, which had borne the brunt of the impact. The headlight was smashed and part of the front end was crumpled.  
  
'Shit!' she exclaimed, then looked around to see what had become of the fleeing trio. All three were standing about ten metres away, their yellow eyes startlingly visible in the dim light of the street lamps. The vampires began walking slowly back towards her.  
  
'Oh, shit!'  
  
Julia reached in across the front seat, taking hold of the silver snake- handled dagger that she had thrown onto the passenger seat when she had left home. She stepped away from the car onto the road but not so far from the building that they could circle around behind her.  
  
One of the vampires, a blonde female, spoke. 'Well, The Harvest was a wash- out but maybe tonight won't be a dead loss after all!' She grinned widely, sharp fangs exposed, as the three of them began to move forward. 'Why don't you make it easy on yourself?' she continued menacingly. 'It won't hurt so much if you don't resist.' She motioned to the other two who flanked her. Both moved ahead of her and a little to the side. Julia stepped back onto the sidewalk, considering if she should make a dash for the open street behind her. 'On the other hand,' the blonde continued, 'resist! It's a lot more fun for us!'  
  
As the dark-haired female lunged forward, Julia lashed out with the silver dagger, catching the vampire across the back of one hand. Hissing, the undead female took a couple of steps back, the blade having seared a deep blackening burn across her dead flesh. She glanced over her shoulder at the male and the two of them rushed Julia, slamming her bodily into the brick wall beside the car. They went down in a heap, the male snapping so close to Julia's neck that she could hear his fangs click as they closed on air.  
  
But they hadn't counted on Julia's speed or strength. As the female struggled to regain her footing, Julia reached up and, grabbing her by the coat, pulled her in close, ramming the Serpent's Tooth up through the ribcage below the solar plexus, the ash-wood set into the blade penetrating the vampire's heart. As the creature exploded into dust, Julia rolled out from under the surprised male and quickly leapt to her feet.  
  
The male now produced a switchblade from inside his leather jacket and began circling Julia. The blonde remained aloof, not attempting to assist beyond calling out encouragement to the male. As he struck at Julia, she kicked out, catching him on the wrist and the knife went skittering across the surface of the road. Darla quickly bent down to pick up the fallen switchblade. The male leapt in again, grabbing Julia by the throat with one hand and holding her knife-hand away with the other. Pushing her up against the wall, he slammed her hand against the bricks until she dropped the dagger. Darla lunged in, stabbing Julia viciously in the side just below the ribcage, tearing through skin and muscle.  
  
From the corner of her eye, Julia saw a tall figure approaching at a run, momentarily bending down to scoop up something from the alleyway as it advanced. The blonde female, who had drawn back her arm for another blow, staggered back in surprise as the male dissolved in a shower of fine particles, a piece of discarded wooden chair leg appearing where his heart had been. Through the dispersing residue, Angel's face appeared.  
  
'You know that's gotta hurt!' he grinned.  
  
Looking around for the blonde female, Angel caught sight of her running off down the street. He started after her, calling out her name, 'Darla!', but she had already disappeared between the abandoned buildings at the far end of the block. Turning back, he saw Julia slumped against the wall, her left hand stained red with blood that drenched her jeans from the waist halfway down her thigh. He walked up to her and tried to pull her hand away to look at the injury but she pushed him away roughly, covering the sleeve of his jacket with her blood.  
  
'Get your hands off me!' she said angrily.  
  
'I'm just trying to help you!'  
  
'I don't need your help. It's nothing. Just a scratch.' Julia pushed herself away from the wall, clutching at the still-oozing gash, grunted as she bent to pick up her dagger and started walking around to the driver's side of the little green convertible.  
  
'Why do you have to be such a tough bitch!' Angel asked hotly.  
  
'Why do you have to be such an arrogant bastard!'  
  
'What?' Angel was incredulous. 'In case you missed it, I just saved your life!'  
  
'How long?' she turned and glared at him.  
  
'How long what?'  
  
'How long were you standing in the shadows this time before you decided to help?'  
  
Angel looked away from her cool green eyes, uncomfortable now. 'Not long,' he said quietly. 'Besides, I wanted to see just how good you were. You were doing pretty well there, for a while.' He tried to smile, without much success.  
  
Julia continued to glare fiercely at this enigmatic young man, whose name she still did not know. She opened the driver's side door and eased herself into the seat. As she went to pull the door shut, Angel grabbed the handle, holding the low door open.  
  
'I'd have thought you'd be at least a little grateful that I came along!'  
  
'You know,' Julia said coolly, 'the Americans have a very good word for what you are.'  
  
'Oh, and what's that,' he snapped, 'a hero?'  
  
'No. An asshole!' Julia was fuming. The wound in her side was throbbing painfully now that the initial rush of adrenaline had subsided. Her hands shook as she tried to turn the key in the ignition. Angel reached in and snatched the key from the lock.  
  
'You can't drive like that; you're going into shock.'  
  
Julia didn't reply but closed her eyes and leaned back against the headrest.  
  
'Stop being so damned stubborn.' Angel said gently, holding out his hand to help her out of the car. 'Move around to the other side and let me drive.'  
  
Julia relented but refused to take his hand, sliding uncomfortably over to the passenger's seat instead. Metal squealed and glass tinkled as Angel backed the car away from the brickwork.  
  
'My house is on the other side of town, over in...'  
  
'I know where it is,' Angel interrupted. 'Sefton Street.'  
  
Julia sighed, closing her eyes again. 'Why does that not surprise me?'  
  
As they drove on, Julia leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window then looked up when she realised they were not going towards her place. 'This isn't the way to my house,' she said.  
  
'I know,' Angel replied. 'We're not going there. I'm taking you to the hospital.'  
  
'No!' she yelled, hurting herself as she suddenly sat upright and startling Angel, who almost veered off the road. He turned to her angrily.  
  
'Why not?' he demanded. 'You probably need stitches.'  
  
'They'll ask too many questions. Anyway, the bleeding's almost stopped. I just need to clean up.'  
  
He twisted the steering wheel sharply, swerving the car around with a screech of tyres, heading back in the direction from which they had come. 'This still isn't the way to my house either,' Julia remarked.  
  
'We're going to mine,' he said. 'It's closer. You can wash up there. If it looks OK, I'll drive you home.'  
  
*****  
  
Julia removed her blood-soaked shirt and tossed it in the wastebasket under the washbasin in Angel's bathroom. Well, at least this explains why he was able to disappear so mysteriously from the Bronze last night, she thought. He just lives upstairs! She examined her damaged side in the mirror. The narrow knife blade had plunged almost all the way through, penetrating muscle but missing anything normally considered vital. She had bled profusely, but the wound was now beginning to close and already scabs were already forming at the edges. Just the same, it hurt like hell. She used a washcloth to gently wipe away as much of the blood as she could, then pressed a thick square pad of sterile dressing over the cut, securing it with surgical tape. She sponged as much of the bloodstain off her jeans as she could without removing them and when she was finished removed the plug from the basin, allowing the cherry-red water to flow away.  
  
Looking back over her left shoulder, she saw Angel leaning against the door, arms crossed, silently watching her. Standing there in her incongruously feminine fuchsia-coloured lacy bra, she felt more vulnerable than she wanted to admit. Note to self, she thought absurdly, wear something less sexy when fighting vampires in future!  
  
'Getting a good enough view from over there?' she asked.  
  
'Hmm, not bad.' Angel laughed and held out a fresh white tee shirt. 'Thought you might like a clean shirt.' He tossed to over the her.  
  
'Thanks.' Julia slipped the shirt on, tying a knot on the bottom left-hand side to try to keep it off the heavily stained jeans that were tacky with her blood.  
  
Pushing past Angel who still stood in the doorway, Julia walked over to the pool table in the centre of the living area and picked up her knife and car keys from the tabletop. She had calmed down considerably by this time and turned back to face Angel. 'I really do appreciate what you did tonight, you know. I just don't understand why you always seem so reluctant to help.' She paused but he didn't offer any explanation. 'I guess it's about time we were properly introduced.' Julia walked over and held out her hand. 'I'm Julia Devereaux.'  
  
Angel reached out and took her hand in his. 'Angel', he said simply.  
  
'Angel?' Julia repeated. 'Is that you first name or last?'  
  
'That's all of it.'  
  
'OK,' she smiled, releasing her grip on his cool hand. 'Still the mystery man.' Julia picked up her coat that was draped across the corner of the pool table. 'Well, I'll be on my way then.' At the door, she couldn't resist a parting shot. 'Next time you happen to come across me fighting for my life, feel free to jump right in anytime, won't you!'  
  
Angel, still leaning against the doorway, dropped his head and grinned. Julia smiled as she closed the door.  
  
*****  
  
After Julia left, Angel went to the bathroom to remove the torn and bloody shirt she had dumped in the wastebasket. Walking over to the small fireplace in the living room, he crumpled the ruined garment into a ball and went to throw it on the flames, then hesitated. Crouching down beside the crackling fire, he lifted the sodden fabric to his face. It was heavy and sticky with blood that was just beginning to dry a darker red around the edges of the stain. Angel inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her salty sweat that still held a pheromonal trace of fear. So, he thought, she may have acted cool and controlled but she'd been afraid after all. A hint of her perfume remained, too - Shalimar - its top-note of rose tickling his nose. Her blood, though, excited him most, heady and intoxicating as the smell of human blood always was. It had been so long. There was another less definable scent too, a faint trace of something else, earthy and familiar, which Angel could not quite place. Finally, he tosses the shirt into the flames, watching the blood sizzle and the white cotton turn to ashes.  
  
***** Finis ***** 


End file.
